Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM  
Instructor: Theodore Xaras  
Weekend Workshop (14 Hours)  

This comprehensive workshop covers all aspects of painting a traditional portrait. Topics include achieving a likeness, modeling light and shade, mixing flesh tones and applying paint through various techniques. All participants will produce at least one finished portrait. Includes demonstrations and portrait history. Valuable information for all levels. Note: Tuition includes a $25 model fee.

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn to analyze and construct a portrait using clearly defined steps.
• Students will be able to achieve a likeness through the careful observation of shapes and their color/value equivalent, which together, form the “topography” of the face.
• Students will learn how to mix and adjust colors to produce accurate flesh tones.
• Students will be able to produce one completed portrait, either a head and shoulders or the entire torso and hands.
• Students will be able to paint a recognizable portrait from life.
• Students will gain an appreciation for the art of portraiture from their own work as well as becoming acquainted with historical and contemporary examples as a basis for further study.

Register by: October 9  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM  
Instructor: Linda Gist  
Weekend Workshop  

Watercolor is the perfect medium for capturing the jewel-like tones and gradients of color in autumn’s changing leaves and abundant harvests. Learn to preserve the season’s rich textures and tapestries of color by exploring a variety of paint mixing and application techniques while working from natural forms. This workshop will include demonstrations of wet-into-wet and dry-brush techniques and one-on-one instruction. All experience levels welcome.

Register by: October 16 
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering. 

Wednesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Rae Helms  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  
No class on November 25  

This six-week class introduces students to stone lithography, the traditional printmaking method of creating fine art prints from drawings made on limestone blocks. Students will learn the basics of this fascinating process, including graining the limestone to prepare it for drawing, creating an image in oil-based lithographic crayons and ink, etching the stone by means of a chemical process, inking the stone, and operating PAFA’s litho press to print an edition of prints. Students will benefit not only from expert class instruction, but also from access to PAFA’s beautiful, light-filled printmaking facilities (including its selection of limestone blocks) and plenty of monitored lab hours for outside work for the entire length of the course! Note: Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Check out this informative illustrated explanation courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Register by: October 21  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: Tony Rosati  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  
No class on November 26 (Thanksgiving Break)  

Take the plunge to learn the fundamentals of watercolor through this beginner-friendly class designed for those with little or no painting experience! Acquire a thorough grounding in basic watercolor materials and techniques, including papers, brushes and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Gain the confidence to further your skills and enjoyment in the medium, in future studies or personal expression.

Register by: October 22  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: Anthony Ciambella  
Weekend Workshop  

Mixed media art and collage offer a myriad of possibilities to combine papers, photographs, and 3D elements to make a statement, convey something personal, or create something textural, colorful, and beautiful. Develop rich and complex imagery finding inspiration from memory, literature, films, and other sources, while working in a variety of traditional and non-traditional materials. Sessions will discuss the characteristics of adhesives, paper and fabric cut-outs, wood, and plastics. Students will receive one-on-one instruction and participate in open discussions about their ideas and work. Topics include construction, storage and presentation strategies. Open to all levels.

Register by: October 23  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering. 

Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM  
Instructor: David Wilson  
Six-Week Short Course (21 Hours)  
No class on November 28 (Thanksgiving Break)  

Paint from a clothed model to advance your skills in portraiture and figure painting. Explore the proportions and anatomy of the head and neck structures, the definition of features, and how to capture expression and likeness, as well as conveying the gesture and construction of the figure with the incorporation of drapery/clothing. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $40 models fee.

Image: David Wilson

Register by: October 23  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Mondays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM  
Instructor: Justine Ditto  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  

Learn to let loose, let go, and just make through the painterly medium of monotype! Explore the limitless possibilities of oil-based and water-based monotype, drypoint monoprint, and screenprint monotype through experimentation and spontaneous creation. Learn to break out of rigid thinking and just play with the materials with no judgment, no prerequisite skills, and no pressure. Work back into prints in mixed media techniques to expand the scope for abstraction and expression. Content includes technical advice from an artist-instructor ideally skilled in a variety of media, as well as critiques to expand your creative boundaries. Class time prioritizes access to the printing facilities, and students will be encouraged to continue developing their prints with the media of their choice outside of class. This class is perfect for painters/draftspeople seeking to expand their processes, printmakers seeking to employ painterly and mixed media techniques, and anyone with love of color and experimentation. Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Register by: October 26  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Mondays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Shushana Rucker  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)  

This six-week course focuses on the specific skills needed to successfully create small and miniature oil paintings. Students will learn how to adjust composition, simplify forms, and control detail so that images read clearly at a smaller size. Students will learn painting strategies which will make working at a smaller scale more approachable. Working from observation and/or reference, students will also explore how value, edges, and color relationships function differently in a compact format. Through demonstrations, exercises, and critique, participants will build confidence in making clear, deliberate decisions that suit the demands of painting small.

Register by: October 26  
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.